Atomizer



April 23, 1935. AssA' 1,998,901

ATOMIZER Filed Sept. 13, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I

INVENTOR Robert F Massa BY Wok ATTO EY A ril 23, 1935.

R, F. MAssA ATOMIZER Filed Sept. 13, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 6. mMw m WW3 1 W Patented Apr. 1935.

UNITED s'rnr Es .PATENr This invention to atomizersior the spraying or liquids in finely divided condition.

- with respect to the'iirst tube provides a passage Devices for this purpose as commonly constructed consist in general of acontainer or receptacle for holding the liquid 'to be sprayed andto which is attached, at least when the liquid is to be sprayed, the. atomizer itself which receives its supply from thereceptacle. This means that the container must-be held near the object to be treated or sprayedeventhough-a small amount of liquid is to be used. Insome cases this holding of the container in the proper position is attended with more or less inconvenience to the user of the atomizer. Further dis-- advantages reside in the inconvenience in pack-- ing such devices for traveling and-the danger of leakage of the liquid under these conditions.

In an attempt to overcome the disadvantages" of devices 0! this type it has been proposed to use devices in whichthe atomizing elements when" a sufiicient supply of liquid for the purpose needed or for subsequent replenishing by reinserting them in the container in case the initial supply is insuflicient. ,As far as I am aware;

devices of this latter class have not gone into practical use due to the many disadvantages which the proposed structures possess.

The present inventionrelates to. the latter class of atomizers and has for its general object to avoid the disadvantages of previous devices of this type by the provision of an atomizer which may be compactly and cheaply constructed of parts that may be integrally formed of the same material. The material is preferably glass which is not acted upon or corroded by the liquids used in the atomizer and which also. avoids invisible or concealed parts or sharp bends that may become unclean or even obstructed. It will be understood, however, that the bulb must be formed of some material, such as rubber, to permit proper manipulation and that even with the use'oi glass, certain parts, such as the nozzle of the device for instance, may be i'ormed 01' metal or other nonvitreous material.

The atomizer may be readily sterilized and there are no mechanical parts which may get out 0! order, except the bulb, which, however, may be readily replaced when required. 7

In general the atomizer consists of a tube to which a bulb is attached for the ejection of air and which has associated with it a cup for the reception 0! the liquid 'to be sprayed, the cup being provided with an opening in order that it may be filled with liquid. A second tube which may be'concentrically or eoeentrically arranged tube when the opening of the cup is submerged 1 in the liquid tobe sprayed;

' The particular nature or the invention as well as other objects and advantages, will appear most clearly from a description of certain preierred embodiments thereot as shown on the ac 1'5 companying drawings in which, v

' Fig. 1 is a view, chiefly in section, of oneiorm 'used' 2 is a similar view showing removed from the bottle; i "Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the atomizer in operative position; i

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

..;Fig; 5 is a-view, partly in section, ora'second" form of atomizer in one operative position; Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the same atomizer in another operative position;

Fig. 7 is a view, partly in section, oi a third form of atomizer adapted for use in a special form 01' bottle;

Fig. 8 is a view, partly in section, of 9. tom us form 01 atomizer;

Fig.9 is atransverse sectional view along @the line 9-8 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a view, partly in section, of a flith form' of atomizer, and r Fig. 11 is a view of a sixth form of atomizer.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a bottle I 40 providedvwith a neck 2 and adapted to contain a liquid 3 which is to be used in the atomizer which is indicated as a whole by 4. The atomizer consists of a tube 5, preferably of glass, at the upperend of which is an enlargement 6 which is surrounded by the orifice end of a bulb I, the end being held in place by a correspondingly shaped part of soap 8, adapted to be screwed on the neck of the bottle. The flat portion of the cap has a gasket 9 of any suitable material for making a liquid tight joint between the cap and the bottle. The other end or the bulb is pro-- vided with a suitable check valve as, to permit air to flow into the bulb under certain the atomizer 20- tube i2 lesser diameter and at this point it is joined to a cylindrical cup [3, preferably of the same material and provided with an orifice ll through which it may be filled. The other end 01 the cup II is joined to a tubular member I! at the point I. This member is oi the same mate rial as the tube 5 which it concentrically surrounds but beyond which it extends in the form or a nozzle II.

In using the atomizer described above and assuming that it is in place in the bottle I the liquid'will fiow into the cup it until its upper level reaches the upper edge of the orifice It as shown in Fig. 1. The air which will be trapped above the liquid under these conditions will prevent the liquid from completely filling the cup.

Instead of allowing the cup to be filled by the natural fiow of liquid into it, it may be filled by suction, but in this case it is necessary to tilt the bottle and hold the atomizer in sucha relation 'to the surface 01' the liquid therein that the moved therefrom as indicated in Fig. 2. When the cup I! is brought above the level of liquid in the bottle some liquid will flow out of the cup until it reaches the level shown in Fig. 2. If, however, the opening I4 is small the liquid will neither enter nor fiow out by gravity. In this case the cup can be filled only by the suction eifect-caused by operation of the bulb as deabove. The atomizer may be held over the bottle until any excess liquid in the cup has drained back into the bottle, or it may be wiped oil, or 11 the atomizer. is inverted before the excess liquid has drained oil it will run down the stem and collect in the-cap 8. It is obvious that the atomizer cannot be used in this position (Fig.

2) for compressing the bulb merely ejects air from the tubes 5 and I2 without any efiect upon the liquid in the receptacle. In order that the atomizer may operate it is necessary to turn it until the inner end of the tubular member I5 is submerged as indicated in Fig. 3 in which position the air ejected from tubes 5 and I2 draws liquid from the cup through the tubular member ii and atomizes the same as it is discharged from the nozzle l1. Liquid may be ejected from the atomizer as long as the end of member 15 remains submerged. The limits between which the atomizer -will operate will depend upon the capacity 01' the cup I 3, the proportioning or the parts, etc., but it is necessary that it be given some inclination abogethe horizontal in order tooperate. It will be understood that during oper- -ation the atomizer must be held with the orifice such as tubes 5 and I2, bulb 1, cap 8 and tubular member I. In this form, however, the annular passage-between the tube l2 and the tubular member I! of the form of the device shown in Fig. l is enlarged at the discharge end to term a chamber l8 in'addition to the chamber l9 formed by the cup I3, these two chambers being in communication through the tubular member I5.

In using the atomizer, the cup I3 is partially filled in the same manner as previously'described. It is then removed from the bottle and inverted as shown in Fig. 5. A few compressions oi the bulb will cause more orless of the liquid in the chamber I9 to be drawn through the tubular member I5 into the chamber I8 from which it may be atomized whether the deviceis in the position shown in Fig. 5 or Fig: 6.

When it occupies the latter position, the liquid in chamber I! will constitutes. source of supply which may be atomized until exhausted regardless of the fact that the remaining liquid in chamber I! does not cover the open end of the tubular member l5.

In Fig. 7 the form of atomizer disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is shown in connection with a special form of bottle that permits more liquid to be used therefrom than is possible with the ordinary type of bottle shown in Fig. 1. In this case the neck 2 of the bottle I is displaced to one side of its usual central position. When the quantity of liquid gets so low that the bottle may be tipped on its side without the liquid flowing therefrom, as shown in Fig. 7, the atomizer may be filled by inserting it in the bottle with the orifice l4 submerged and the nozzle l1 above the surface oi the liquid. The suction eilect created in the cup I3 by compression of the bulb I will cause the liquid to flow into the cup, after which the atomizer may be used as hereinbefore described.

Another form of atomizer is shown in Fig. 8, in which the tubes 5 and I2 and the bulb (not shown) are substantially of the form shown in the other figures, but, the cup 20 is provided with an inwardly directed annular flange 2|, thereby forming an annular supply chamber 22 into which liquid fiows when the atomizer is put into a. bottle. Instead of the concentric tubular member of the other figures, there is a. tube 23 attached to the tube l2 and terminating at one end near the outer end of tube 12, the other end being curved, so that when the device is tilted into a. position like that of Fig. 3, this end will be submerged and liquid may be discharged therefrom in an atomized condition. It is, of course, advisable to place the tube 23 on the opposite side of tube i2" to that at which the orifice I4 is disposed.

In.the forms of atomizer above described the air passes through a central tube and the liquid to be atomized through an outer tube either concentrically arranged as in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, or eccentrically arranged as in Fig. 8. In Fig. 10 there is shown a form in which the reverse arrangement is employed. In this case the tube 5 terminates in a bulb-like portion 24 within which islocated a cylindrical member 25 forming a liquid chamber, an orifice 26 being providedior filling the latter. A tube 21 lasttached near one end to the member 25 and terminates in the liquid when the device is tipped into the position shown ior operation as will be obvious.

, A final embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. H, in which a tube 28 to which a bulb is attached carries a cup 2! iastened by a bracket 30. From the bottom of the cup a liquid supply tube 3| terminates adjacent to the end or tube 28. The cup may be filled by inserting the device in a bottle and suitably manipulating it or it By iorming the atomizer of glass, a further ad vantage is obtained in that by softening the glass, at the point in Fig. 1 for instance, the cup I! may be slightly displaced with respect to the tube I! to alter the distance that the orifice oi nozzle II projects beyond the tube I! in order to secure the best atomizing eiiect.

vAssurance oi ireedom from breakage due. to temperature changes is secured by the elimination of rigid joints between longitudinally placed parts as would be the case, for instance, it there were a connection between the inner end of tubular member l5 and the point II. In that case a diiierence of temperature between the parts II and I5 such as would be caused by sudden plunging into boiling water for sterilizing would cause a strain.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, it will be understood that it may be embodied in other forms and that various changes in structural details may be made without departing from the principle of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claimz- 1. In an atomizer, the combination of a pair of tubes, an air bulb attached only to one end of one of the tubes extending beyond the end of the tube, and a cup, said tubes and cup being concentrically arranged with respect to each other, said cup being attached to one oi the tubes the other tube being supported from and extending through the cup in communication therewith, and the ends of the tubes remote'irom said air bulb being arranged in asperating relation whereby air forced from the bulb through said one tube will cause a discharge of fiuid from the cup through said other tube.

2. Anatomizer adapted to be placed in a container for liquid for supplying liquid to the atomizer, said atomizer including a tube, a cup-shaped member adapted to attach the atomizer to the container, an air-bulb attached to f the tube, a single cup associated with and arranged concentrically with respect to the tube and provided with an orifice through which liquid may fiow into the cup when the atomizer is in place on the container, and means whereby liquid may be withdrawn from the cup and atomized by manipulation .01 the air bulb when the atomizer is removed as a unit from the container, said cupeshaped member being open towards said cup so that it I serves to catch the liquid that drains from the surface of the atomizer when the atomizer is removed irom the container and positioned for use. 3. An atomizerincluding a tube adapted to receive at one end an air bulb for ejecting air therethrough; a closed cup provided with a filling oriand a tubular member having one end in asperating relation with said tube and the other end extending into said cup and in communication therewith; said tube, cup, and tubular member being concentrically arranged, said cup being integrally attached 'to said tube and said tubular member being integrally attached to saidcup.

4. man atomizer the combination oi;a tube, an air bulb concentrically attached to one end of the tube and extending beyond the tube, a substantially cylindrical cup attached at one end to the other end of thetube and. provided with an orifice in its side through which it may be filled by submerging it in a liquid and a tubular member attached to the cup, said tubular member having one end in asperating relation with the other end of saldtube and its other end in communication with said cup whereby liquid may be withdrawn from the cup for atomizing by the air ejected from the tube byv manipulation of the bulb.

5. In an atomizer, the combination of a tube, an air bulb attached to the tube, a cup attached to the tube and formed with a pair of chambers through one of which the tube extends and in the other of which the tube terminates, and a tube forming a passage between the chambers and terminating near the inner end of the chamber through which the first named tube extends, an opening in each of said chambers, the opening in said other chamber being aligned with the end of the first named tube whereby in one position of the atomizer air ejected from the tube by manipulation of the bulb will cause liquid in one of the chambers to be atomized and in another position of the atomizer will cause liquid in both chambers to be atomized.

6. In an atomizer, the combination of an air supply conduit, a liquid supply conduit surrounding the first named conduit, a liquid storage chamber surrounding both conduits, and an air bulb on which the conduits and chamber are mounted, said air bulb being in communication with said air supply conduit and said liquid supply conduit being in communication with said liquid storage chamber.

vided with a filling orifice through which when immersed in a liquid supply the liquid chamber can be filled by compressing the bulb.

ROBERT F. MASSA. 

